Pyromaniac Beginnings
by Shitsuren Pikapikahikaru
Summary: One young inexperienced trainer. Three hopeless allies. Eight creatures, fated to assist them, and Four vengeful gods, seeking to reconfigure the boundries set by the Legendaries themselves. We begin at the beginning.
1. Meet The Parents

_By- Shitsuren, Pikapikahikaru_

_Disclaimer: If I was Satoshi Tajiri, do you think I would be writing this, instead of rolling about in piles of money and Pokemon Merchandise?_

_Rated T for swearing, drug and sex references in later chapters, and just plain bizareness._

**Well, well. If you're reading this, that means you have just uncovered my first fanfic. I could be said that this is merely a test to see if I am ready to face the brutal world of writing. If my stories please fans enough to ensure my worth. In fanfics, I believe, writers have almost cheated. Here in front of them they have character, ready and made. They require no extreme creation process on the author's part. Fanfic writers may amuse their fans by twisting these personalities out of whak, or contemplating how they changed with age. This also makes fic writing a challenge, as it can often be a trying process keeping certain characters withing boundries of their personalities, especially when casting a relatively minor character as the center focus. I'm glad tointroduce myself into the world of fic writing, and I hope that I am able to please someone along the way.**

**----**

**Pyromaniac**

Patrick "Pyro" Ryien had always loved fire Pokemon. She loved the way they moved, the tongues of flame leaping from their mouths in a firey symphony. She loved how they tended to be aggressive and hotheaded. She loved how they were quite literally hard to handle. More secretly, she loved fire. She liked watching it burn stuff. She liked its light and heat. And she liked how things died when they were touched by it. Fire was hot and bright, burning quietly in her soul. Fire was life and death all at the same time.

Pyro often pored over long books over the biology and psychology of fire Pokemon. She learned how they all ad internal glands that produced a flammable liquid, and a miniscule fire inside of them. These were released through separate glands in the throat, where they combusted into flame. Glorious flame! As she read on, her interest and knowledge only increased further. The Growlithe and Cyndaquil families could sweat flammable chemicals, which they could light to use Flame Wheel.

It was an undeniable fact. She loved them.

Pyro was in truth, a very, very disturbed child. At least when it came to fire. When she was four, she had already learned to use a lighter. This was no particular genius on her part. Her father saw her more as a sort of trophy than a child, and taught her to do a few 'tricks' to amuse his friends. One was 'light Daddy's cigarette.' The fact that her parents were chain smokers did no help in dissuading her obsession. Nor did the fact that her mother, who was home most often, was a scatterbrain. Lighters were often left within her reach.

At age five, Pyro had discovered the wonders of nail polish remover. It was more by chance then by any effort of hers. While on an errand to bring the aforementioned substance to her hung-over mother she discovered the word flammable. Pyro had never been one for reading. She preferred to hover silently in her room, burning the pages of children's books such as 'The Three Ursarings' and 'Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Mightyena.' Of course that was before she learned of the valuable knowledge contained within books. Mainly, on fire.

"Mommy, what's flammable?" asked Pyro, bright gray eyes staring eagerly at the tired, ill, woman. Pryo's mother shot her a wary look, but the child countered with a determined one. Mrs. Ryien recognized that look. It was the one that neither force nor constant refusal would deter. No matter what action was taken to discourage the little brat, she would stand there, like a silent haunting ghost. Repeating her question until she was either forcibly removed from the room, or answered. Honestly, it was much easier to give the child what she wanted.

"Flammable means that…something can be set on fire." said the woman, gently kneading her forehead with her index and middle fingers. Both headache and child were killing her slowly. "Please Honey, can you go and get Mommy some Advil?"

"Fine." said the gray-eyed girl in question. "I'll get it for you."

Ms. Ryien ignored her, flicking the remote and turning on the T.V. It was some live coverage or other of a Hoenn League championship. The grating voice of an announcer rolled out among the stands.

'**Okay, folks! This is it! The halfway break has ended, and the battle to determine the new champion of the Hoenn League! Each contender has two Pokemon left! Everyone is wondering who our winner will be, Ash Ketchum, the reigning champion, or his orange-clad challenger**?'

The blonde-haired kid in question tugged on the neck of his jumpsuit, waiting for the champion to pick his Pokemon. Ash Ketchum smiled smugly, pulling a ball from his belt.

"Go, Charizard!"

"Henge, go!"

A large Charizard stood facing the Ditto, a bored look on its face. Evidence of battles were written all over it, from the countless tiny scars all over it's body, to the large set of clawmarks on its broad muzzle. This creature was no joke. It was known to have fought (and won) against both the Dragonite of the now-retired Orange League Champion, and the Legendary Articuno.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"Transform!"

Just as the stream of flame, hot enough to melt boulders, was about to reach the Ditto, it disappeared, replaced by a whorl of flame. The two bursts of flame crashed, pushing against each other, a wash of heat pushing both trainers back. Then, as the flames stopped, and the heat disappeared, two almost identical Charizards appeared, standing before the scorched ground. The second one was completely free of scars.

"Charoooooaaaa!" growled Ash's Charizard in frustration. It had become quite accustomed to taking out opponents in the first shot.

"Dit. Dit. Diiittoooo." said the Ditto, grinning.

This appeared to be an insult, for Ash's Charizard roared, spewing a burst of flame into the air.

"Use Fire Blast!"

An enourmous star-shaped wave of fire shot towards the Ditto, scorching away the ground on the rock field

"Henge, rush it with Flamethrower!"

The Ditto charged forward, a Flamethrower pushing back the Fire Blast. The more powerful attack soon had Ash's Charizard being physically pushed back, though it was clearly using most of its strength.

'**WOW! It appears we have an upset here, folks! Charizard is quickly being overpowered by Ditto**!' cried the announcer.

Pyro, firmly pressing two tablets of Advil into Mrs. Ryien's hand, momentarily interrupted the show.

"Thanks honey," said the mother as she swallowed down the pill with a sip of beer.

She didn't notice the evil glint in Pyro's eyes as she watched Henge's Flamethrower completely overpower Charizard's Fire Blast, and wash over the great dragon in a wave of intense heat.

---

**Author's Note**: Well, the less patient of you may get a bit bored by the lack of Pokemon action in earlier chapters. Relax. I'm just getting the main character's personalities set up. If you are waiting for action, skip ahead to ChapterSixwhen it's up, though you _will_ be confused. I promise you, the story will get better as it goes along. Also, you may find that occasionally, the names of the chapters will change. THIS WILL NOT AFFECT THE CONTENT OF THE CHAPTERS. Thak you, and please hang in there with me, folks.


	2. Meet The Teacher

The word flammable had sparked something in Pyro's mind. A little flame, soon eating away the wall of her infantile self-control, became a raging monster. The five-year-old trundled to the bathroom, an enlightened look on her face. Rummaging through a medicine cabinet full of pills that shouldn't have been in her reach, she withdrew a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and nail polish remover.

The renovators said that bathroom repairs would take two weeks.

To Pyro, it couldn't have mattered less. It was only a mild inconvenience for her to have to walk up the stairs to use Mrs. Ryien's private bathroom. Even if everything from the curtains to the toilet seat was fluffy and pink, stinking of some artificial perfume. For Mr. Ryien, however, it seemed to be a major problem. His wife absolutely refused to let him use her bathroom, lest "Daddy miss the potty and pee on something."

This lead to an argument as the whereabouts of Mr. Ryien at certain hours, the amount of alcohol consumed by Mrs. Ryien, and the proper position of the toilet seat. After this, Mr. Ryien was condemned to using the bathroom of the next-door neighbor, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Patterson was a homosexual closet pervert, who secretly liked to watch drag and pornography from his dial-up Internet connection.

Needless to say, Mr. Ryien was not pleased.

Two weeks later, the bathroom still was not repaired. Apparently, some new problem had arisen during reconstruction, and the work would have to go on for twice as long as expected.

Mrs. Ryien fumed around the house, staring in dismay at the bathroom from time to time. Pyro, pointedly avoiding her mother, looked for things to burn in secret. She relentlessly stole paper or cloth of any kind. Newspaper, dishrags, and even magazines, though the smoke from them burning hurt her eyes.

As soon as the curtains went up in flames, Pyro's mother decided it was time for school.

Kindergarten. Most think of it as a friendly, peaceful environment where small children can feel safe and play with one another. That was a dead wrong assumption, at least according to Pyro. She was less than pleased as a flustered Mrs. Ryien dragged her into the classroom. She was small, in unfamiliar surroundings, and wearing a flowered yellow dress that her mother had picked out for her. Her hair was in two equally disgusting little braided pigtails that she intended to destroy as soon as said female left, and she had been practically strip-searched for fire-starters of any kind. A few words were exchanged between mother and teacher, and Mrs. Ryien left the premises, with a smile that was perhaps _too_ wide.

Pyro made her way to a corner, sat down, and resolved not to move as she pulled off the scrunchies and rubber bands that confined her hair. She hated this place already, with the odd, tactless drawings neatly taped to the walls and the paint and glitter covered macaroni sculptures drying on a table. The scent of paste and old food wafted around the classroom, making Pyro slightly sick. An obviously fake smile on the face of the nervous young teacher irritated her, and the children were smelly, loud, and covered with various booger-stain-scabs combinations.

The first mistake made by Ms. Kenny was trying to integrate Pyro into the stinking, crying mass of overgrown toddlers who messily smeared paint on bargain brand canvas-size paper in the center of the room. One of the pieces of paper was unoccupied. Apparently, set up just for her. Pyro could approve of that. The paint was set before her in cheap plastic cups. White, black, red, yellow, blue. Pyro immediately pushed the blue aside. Now…just how was she supposed to paint? There were no brushes, none at all. She looked back and forth among the inferior children, but they were all moronically dipping their hands in the paint.

At first, she had assumed that they were soiling their hands because they were stupid, but her second notion was that they were all too idiotic to ask for paintbrushes. Pyro had never learned the art of raising her hand, so she simply took herself, hideous yellow dress and all, to a slightly preoccupied teacher.

The second mistake made by Ms. Kenny was calling Pyro by her given name.

"I'm sorry Patrick, you have to paint with your fingers like everyone else." she said, slightly wrinkling her nose at the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Ryien had inconsiderately given such a name to a female child.

"Patrick" narrowed her eyes in a way that the teacher found distinctly frightening. Ms. Kenny was extremely relieved when the small child wandered back to her piece of paper, though there's no doubt she wouldn't have felt the same sense of security if she'd known that the girl had hastily rummaged through her desk to produce a ruler, and a pair of office-quality titanium scissors that had absolutely no business in a kindergarten classroom. Snipping part of a ponytail from one of the ingrates, she fastened it to the ruler.

The third mistake made by Ms. Kenny was disapproving of Pyro's artwork. After about fifteen minutes of painting,five happy six-year-olds,eight happy five-year-olds, six happy seven-year-olds, and one broody four-year-old proudly waved their mediocre paint scribbled in the air. Mainly, they were just splatters of paint and handprints randomly splattered on the page. A few had actual subjects, like the blue smear with eyesthat the owner claimed was a "dynosaw."

However, the most detailed piece by far was that of an Arcanine, settled neatly on the floor. Blobby, yes, but it had a distinguishable nose, eyes, mouth, and stripes, and most of the markings were in the right places. It was in a pure black background, with a smeary-looking yellow and orange fire coming out of its mouth. Pyro stood above it, sporting a small smirk.

True, not very impressive, but it was advanced for a five-year-old. Pyro was duly upset about having nothing to burn, but at least she'd been able to create something that looked like fire with her fake paintbrush. Instead of giving praise where praise was due,Ms. Kennysimply said;

"That's horrible, Patrick! You were supposed to use your hands!"

Pyro's smirk quickly disappeared, replaced by a blank, tight-lipped look. The raven-haired child immediately designated one Harriet B. Kenny as her number one enemy.


	3. Meet The Starter

It was nearly end of the school day, as Ms. Kenny beamed over twenty happy children, crowded in front of her. Well, make that eighteen happy children. Two were less than pleased. One was the stereotypical kid-that-nobody-likes. The other was Pyro. And Pyro was pissed. Today, Ms. Kenny had promised to bring in something worthwhile. Well, all Pyro saw was a large box in her arms. It had been sitting on the main desk for most of the day.

"Okay, children!" said the teacher in her fake-peppy voice. "I've got a special surprise for you today."

With that, she carefully deposited the box on the floor, tenderly opening it to reveal two tiny baby Rattata, small enough to be held in the cupped hands of an adult. They were a soft violet color, with beady red eyes and enormous pearly front teeth. Clever little paws clutched the edge of the box as the tiny, furry rodents peeked charmingly out at the equally immature class.

"You see, class, my pet Ratta had babies. A boy and a girl. It turns out, I can't keep them all because of my apartment's Health Code, so I've brought the babies to class today. They're old enough to go to new homes, so I was wondering if some of you would talk to your parents if you want to adopt one of these little guys."

A small bespectacled kid in the front raised his hand. One of the six-year-olds.

"Yes, Kenta?"

"What's a Health Code?"

"I don't have to explain to you, dammit!" snapped Ms. Kenny suddenly. "I thought you Asian kids were supposed to be smart!"

Kenta was mortified. He stood in his spot, rooted in fear as the bright eyes of the Rattata kits looked up at him curiously.

"Hey!" came a muffled squeak from some kid in the back. "D-that's not rightchu…sensei!"

It was the kid that nobody liked. The broody four-year-old who'd painted the "dynosaw."

The brown-skinned kindergartener sported a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses and a yellow baseball cap, complete with five-inch-long Pikachu ears. To top it off, a worn Pikachu plushie rested in her arms, she had more than once bitten kids who had tried to touch it. Probably contributing to the reason why she was not the most popular kid in class.

"Y'can't…can't make fun of people like that. You can'tchu and…cuz you're bigger'n us…an…s'not good. Pi…" came the continued mumble. It was actually sort of comical, how her voice was both a shy mumble and a shrill squeak at the same time.

"Oh, that's perfectly right!" said Ms. Kenny, leaving the children with the box while she went to retrieve some white powder from the drawer. "I'm so sorry class. No one should ever say bad things about someone else just because they are different from us."

This contradictory statement greatly confused the midget army, with the exception of Kenta, who was too scared to think. The little four-year-old blinked, then sighed, deciding once and for all that her sensei was crazy. The Pikachu plush hung limply in her arms, its bright beady eyes staring solemnly at Ms. Kenny.

"She _is_ nuts, isn't she Pikapower." whispered the girl, gently stroking it's head.

Pyro glanced at this strange girl in her yellow overalls. She'd only paid enough attention to this one to notice that she wore the same color clothes every day. That all of her shirts seemed to have two parallel brown stripes on the back. A Pikachu-lover, all tagged down with her tatty little plaything. Yuck. Pyro's attention turned to the Rattata. Not fire Pokemon. Not interesting.

"Ratta!"

Blink.

Pyro looked down at the box, at the chittering female rat Pokemon staring at her with extreme interest. It squeaked again, reaching out a delicate little paw. For some reason, Pyro felt compelled. She touched the paw.

Mrs. Ryien did not seem amused at the prospect of a new pet. The same couldn't be said for the parent of the Pika-girl, as Pyro had mentally dubbed her. In fact she seemed very amused. The words, 'It's not a Pikachu,' punctuated by '_He_.' Settled that particular conversation, and the Pika-girl left with her new pet uncomfortably perched on her hat.

"I want her." Said Pyro.

Mrs. Ryien stared at Pyro.

"Patrick, a _rat_? In my house? Couldn't it be something _clean_, like a Meowth?"

"I **want** her."

A piercing, determined, glare.

Mrs. Ryien pressed her lips together, the blood flushing from her cheeks.

"_Fine_. But…but…ohhh!" she said, painfully yanking the child along. Pyro could have cared less. She had the little one. It was hers. They had chosen one another.

---

"Hisaki. Hosaki. Enkou. Naien. Shinka. Hiya."

The Rattata showed no response.

"Do you want me to name you?"

The Rattata blinked, turning her head to the side. She was tiny, furry, and charming. Seeking warmth, she crawled into Pyro's lap, chittering softly.

"Fine. You will be Hiya."

At the back of her mind, a little tinkle sounded. A friendly swish. And faintly, ever so faintly, Pyro could have sworn she heard a sleepy; "_Good enough_…"

**Author's Note:** _Well, well. If you are reading this, then you like my story well enough to hold on until chapter three. Oh, the wonder of it all. Now, I apologise for the chapters being so short. As for any questions you have, ask in the reviews, I'll answer them. Updates will be random for the most part, but the nesxt one will definitely be in the beginning or middle of August. Suggestions, flames, andconstructive criticism will be equally appreciated._


	4. Meet Kenta and Company

**Well, congrats, my loyal readers. You have made it to chaper four. I'd like to thank those who read, and even moreso those who've reviewed. My specialthanks goes to Foxyjosh, who reviewed every chapter. As a note; Godammit, Wolfie-Girl, you cannot have a fat labrodor Pokemon! And stop pestering me to write faster. You cow. You're lucky I even put you in the story**.

---

"Hiya?"

"Yes."

"Patrick, are you sure? That's a really odd name. Why don't you change it to Crackers or Fluffy. You know…" A little flinch. "Something…normal."

"Those are stupid names. I like Hiya." growled Pyro as her mother dragged her along to the detestable Kindergarten. Mrs. Ryien was still less than pleased. They'd had the little rodent for a week now, and she'd just found out its name. Not that she'd really cared, but this was bizarre. Weren't children supposed to be _chatty_, and full of insatiable _curiosity_?

This is when the idea came to Mrs. Ryien to get Pyro a shrink.

---

Ermine Baker was dishonest. He was a liar, a cheat, a smoker, an ex-alcoholic, and he occasionally bought crack cocaine from what he liked to call the 'Underground Drugstore' with his wife. Who he was, in fact, cheating on with a much younger woman. The psychology certificate on his wall was a forgery, and a very good one too. He was well off, to say the least, and owned a lovely condo that he shared with his wife. Well, one day it happened that Mr. Baker invited his girlfriend over while his lively wife was visiting her family. They had a lovely time, screwing up the house that had been so lovingly and carefully cleaned by the _wife._

Well, it happened that Mrs. Ken- I mean Mrs. Baker came home a little bit early, to bring home a family keepsake. It was the loveliest rusty axe that anyone could ever imagine, waaay back from the olden days of yore. Mrs. Baker wanted to show her keepsake to what she thought was a loving husband, and found _them_ doing the nasty on her _imported_ quilt. Well, it happened that right then Mrs.- I mean…the Great Lords of Karma murdered them in cold blood. He struck the two of them dead with…with his axe of Karma to avenge the beautiful and wronged ex-wife. Ms. Baker ate the bodies of her traitorous ex-husband and his slut and she lived happily ever after. The end.

An angry-looking girl with unusually long canines and a Mightyena T-shirt raised her hand.

"Yes, Guraena?" asked Ms. Kenny.

"That was the dumbest story in the world."

"Yeah!" protested a blonde girl in bright pink. "I wanted to hear a fairy tale!"

"Well," sneered Ms. Kenny. "That's all you'll get, _and you'll like it dammit_!"

The class cringed, with the exception of Pyro and a few other kids with loud parents. From there, Ms. Kenny continued on a fifteen-minute vulgar tirade about the profound torture that is life before dismissing the kids for recess. She deserted them to their own means, and went back into her room, smiling fakely as she crammed white powder up her nose.

Once everyone was outside, the Pika-girl gently tugged on the sleeve of the Mightyena-girl and muttersqueaked something that Pyro couldn't hear. The Mightyena-girl smiled, then nodded, then the two of them headed for a deserted corner of the playground. The Pika-girl pushed aside a board in the unpainted picket fence. Silently, Pyro followed the pair through the hole, to the sidewalk around the school building. Both girls moved so swiftly that Pyro, who seldom exercised, struggled to keep up. Four sets of feet pattered on concrete in a–wait…

Pyro stopped in her tracks, just as her targets turned a corner. So did another set of feet. The dark girl bristled, turning to her pursuer. It was an Asian kid, he had spiky-hair that hung over his eyes, and a pair of neat, thin-framed glasses. Pyro could not put a name to him.

"Umm…hi." He said timidly.

"Fool."

"Well…umm…well, you have cooties!" said the kid, puffing out his cheeks in what he hoped was a menacing way. He looked like a diseased blowfish.

"Who are you?" demanded Pyro.

"I'm Kenta!" said the boy, staring at Pyro as if she was crazy. "I sit next to Mouse-chan in the story circle."

"Go away."

"No way! I was following them first!"

"Was not!" said Pyro, self-importantly puffing out her chest and menacingly staring down the older and taller boy. Bright gray determined eyes met his hazel ones, and he actually flinched and looked away.

A smirk of bright triumph on her face, Pyro walked up to a nervous Kenta, until they stood a foot apart. Kenta stood unresponsive, refusing to back down again. Pyro's smirk brightened, and with a tackle, she sent him sprawling to the ground. She gave him a last spiteful kick in the knee, which sent him to crying. There, Pyro ran off to continue the chase, only to find that Pika-girl and Mightyena-girl had disappeared.

Walking back in a huff, she passed Kenta, whose crying deteriorated to sniffles as he gave her a look of amazement. Tears still dripping down his face, the boy pulled himself up, and started trotting after Pyro.

Surprised, the girl looked at him in…well…surprise. Here was a boy that she'd pushed to the ground and then kicked, and he was _following_ her. Facing forward Pyro increased her gait. She could hear increasing footsteps behind her. Pyro walked even faster. Kenta walked even faster. Pyro broke into a run. Kenta broke into a run. Pyro stopped suddenly, turned on her heel and punched Kenta in the face before he had come to a complete stop.

Kenta somehow stumbled backwards while moving forward. Trying not to teeter off balance, he leaned forward, causing him to fall to his hands and knees. Pyro promptly sat on him, and he collapsed from her weight. He was crying again. Disgusted, Pyro got off of him and started to leave. Kenta got up too, his clothes covered in dirt and tears streaming down his face.

Pyro walked away. Kenta followed. Pyro backhand-slapped him. Kenta stood there, sobbing and sniffling. Pyro rammed into him, full-force. Kenta yelled. As the girl walked away yet again, Kenta followed. Here, Pyro's patience wore thin.

Kenta came to school the next day with a scratch on his cheek, a slightly swollen eye, a skinned knee, and a split lip. He smilingly sat right next to Pyro during arts and crafts. She slapped him.

**Author's Notes-** Well, Chapter four rolled in a little earlier than predicted, huh? Well, better early than late. I hope you enjoyed the story, stuff is actually starting to happen now. As always, I'm willing to answer questions that you leave in my reviews, just no more stupid ones, okay Wolfie girl?


	5. Meet The Pokemon

Ten-year-old Pyro slowly stalked into the room, her steps softly scattering dust on the floor. It was so ancient…so powerful. The raven-haired girl was conscious of being an intruder. A quick wind blew from the corridor on the left, and Pyro pursed her lips. Strengthening her resolve, she padded down the corridor, clutching the map tightly. What seemed like half a mile of walking led her to a door.

It wasn't a particularly special door. Not grand and exquisite like the others had been. It was plain and wooden, cheaply painted with some of the white paint chipping away. In the middle of it was a sign reading clearly "Toxic Waste." Grabbing the knob, Pyro closed her eyes. She leaned forward, and was surprised to find herself falling…

Four-year-old Pyro woke, clutching Hiya, who chattered uncomfortably. She was squeezing hard. Too hard. Pyro loosened her grip.

'_My Hiya.' _hissed Pyro mentally_. ' Mine.'_

She got out of her bed, stalking to the window to peer outside with the sleepy Rattata still in her arms. It was raining, sheets of water crashing down and obscuring the outside. Loud cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning permeated the outside world.

"Hiya. You and me. We'll be partners. We'll go out in that some day."

The Rattata trilled softly, looking up at Pyro. _Her_ Pyro, with her dreams of resistance and grandeur. Good luck, big sister. Hiya will help you along the way. With that thought, Hiya fell into a dreamy stupor, falling limp in Pyro's arms.

----

During the next few days, Pyro became increasingly annoyed with Akatoro Kenta. In fact, it could be said that she hated him. She knew almost everything about him now. Everything from his favorite ice cream flavor to his family name, due to the fact that he told her everything as he sat next to her. Which he did every time he got the opportunity. Pyro, having not yet reached the age where she would be able to block this out, was constantly peeved by this influx of useless information.

Even more annoying was the fact that he was always trying to _touch_ her. Every pat on the shoulder, every time he tried to grab her hand...it was grating. As soon as Ms. Kenny's back was turned, he was rewarded with a slap, a punch, a push, or a kick. The one time he'd tried to hug her, he was beaten within an inch of his life. Kenta soon learned how to put on his own bandages.

Even though the boy was annoying, he had one trait that Pyro enjoyed. He never blamed her, mentioned her, looked at her, or even thought about her (she presumed) when asked about his wounds. And Pyro enjoyed this trait solely because it allowed her to beat the shit out of him at recess day after day. In a way, it was a release for her. Bleeding away the frustration of her parents, gravitating slowly apart, her less-than-pleasing home life, the disgusting Kindergarten, and the even more disgusting Ms. Kenny.

Kenta was her punching bag. In a way, he was her savior, though she would never admit to herself, or anyone else for that matter. And that just happened to be her train of thought as she sat quietly in the corner at recess, eating an enormous pudding cup with a plastic spoon, both relics stolen from Ms. Kenny's desk. The pudding's container smelled a little funny, but the contents were good, so Pyro wolfed it down. She was unmolested by Kenta, for the time being. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was sitting on him.

Sporting a smug grin, she popped lump after lump of vanilla pudding into her mouth. The occasional lump landed in Kenta's hair. Kenta sniffled, but held in his sobs and tears. By then, he had learned that crying only earned him a more severe punishment from Pyro. He had also learned that she seemed to love splattering him with food and dirt. It was humiliating for him, and it angered his parents. Truth be told, the two didn't really like it when their only son come home covered in mud, food, injuries, and grass stains.

And Pyro wondered. Why exactly did he come back day after day, only to be reduced to a sniveling, emotionally scarred mess? Did he like being bullied? Pyro was disgusted at the thought. Yet, why was he so reluctant to leave her alone? Why did he talk to her? How long would he tolerate this abuse? Pyro did not want to think about it. Kenta had become her punching bag, and he would remain her punching bag…whether he liked it or not.

It happened at that moment Ms. Kenny called out for the children to return to the classroom. Pyro removed herself from Kenta's spine with a cruel smirk. Kenta sniffed, and pulled himself up as Pyro slyly discarded the pudding cup and spoon under a nearby bush. She had a smudge of pudding on her cheek.

Without thinking, Kenta licked his thumb, wiping it across Pyro's cheek. Pyro might have settled on killing him right then, if it hadn't been for Ms. Kenny suddenly appearing, calling loudly for the last few stragglers. Pyro glared, a sudden light coming to her eyes. Then, she spoke. The first word she'd said to him after their initial encounter. It was filled with every bit of rage and spite she held in her little body. Every bit of pain, sadness, hate, irritation, and disgust was somehow crammed into that word.

"Bastard."

---

A pain shot through Kenta's body. It was like…an odd sensation trickling through his veins. It was like that one word had turned into poison, and was burning through his system. Running through his blood, trickling through his system until it ran a circuit through his body and reached his heart, which stopped. It skipped a beat. For the first time, his face became streaked with earnest tears, instead of the false ones he usually showed to Pyro.

She looked at him strangely, as he stood there, his shirtfront covered in dirt and other playground grime. Vanilla pudding dripped from his brown hair, and he stood there. Tears dripped from brown-yellow eyes, past the loud bluish bruise beginning to blossom on his left cheek. Sobs racked his frame; they were actually partially gasps for air. Pyro's weight had been crushing his lungs.

She looked at him for a moment, and for a second his hopes rose. It wasn't the look she usually assumed upon seeing him. That was an odd mixture of disgust, amusement, and something else. Something sinister. He never thought much of it, thinking of it as a phase that all she would go though upon meeting him, and a phase she would pass through.

The look she was giving him now was softer. Gentler. It almost hinted at pity…but her eyes. They weren't murderous or disgusted, but they hinted at a warning. Come no closer. Move no further away. A command. Though her eyes had lost their menace, she was commanding him like a Growlithe!

Gura-chan had been difficult to win over, but she had only bitten him once before she figured out he was sincere. Mouse-chan had been easier. She'd been suspicious at first, friendship was a quantity rarely offered to her. And she'd been desperate for it, clinging to him to the point where his attentiveness to Pyro was making her fussy and jealous. It had taken a threat to end their friendship to keep her from interfering. Gura-chan was more impassive. If he wanted to get beaten up, he could get beaten up. She would advise against it, but would do no more.

Kenta had no idea why he followed her. She was sort of pretty…very pretty, but then again, so were Gura-chan and Mouse-chan once you got past their quirks. No, that wasn't the reason. It wasn't because of what she looked like, though that didn't exactly hurt. It was because she was interesting. She was like something out of his reach.

She was like fire.

Touch it, get burned.

He promised himself, even fire could be tamed.

----

Ms. Kenny was in a bad mood as the day rolled by. Lunch was ruined. Even her coke had lost its appeal without the special desert course, a super-sized vanilla pudding cup. She had torn apart the desk for it, as well as half the classroom. Ah, well, she could have better things with her coke next time, she mused as she dropped an empty bottle of Coca Cola into the trashcan.

---

The next day was the Kindergarten's officially declared Pet Day. Every student was allowed to bring _one_ of their family Pokemon, if they had one. This had required the signing of permission slips, the bringing and labeling of Pokeballs, and assurance from the parents that that the Pokemon would not attack the children.

Not that Ms. Kenny would have minded.

It was a testing day indeed, as some of the Pokemon were rather untrustworthy-looking, like Natalie Green's Machoke, and happily harassed the more nervous kids. Out of the twenty rugrats, six had brought their Pokemon, five had brought a family Pokemon, two had brought a parent's Pokemon, and the rest either didn't have a Pokemon, or shared one with a friend who did.

Pyro had brought Hiya, who immediately rushed off to play with her sibling, the Pika-girl's Rattata. Ms. Kenny had brought a huge Raticate, who stood on her desk on her desk, surveying all from its comfortable perch. The Mightyena-Girl had brought a young Pidgey, who occasionally fell off of her shoulder to have a seizure, and Kenta brought a smug-looking Meowth who walked beside him unquestioningly, and seemed to be the best trained of the bunch.

Pyro stared at it in contempt.

It was well-groomed, it's fur a snowy white instead of the normal cream color, and its hind paws and tail were a light shade of gold. The coin on its head shimmered brightly, testifying good health. As if that weren't enough, lean muscles rippled beneath it's skin, professing fitness, and probably above-average battling skills. It looked at Pyro and Hiya with obvious distaste, and began grooming itself, as if the mere fact that they were around was making them feel unclean.

Ms. Kenny gave her obviously fake smile to the class as she shooed them into a circle.

"Okay, kids. I'm going to be in the corner…um…doing something, so just do whatever you want, okay?"

"Okay, Ms. Kenny!" chorused the class, rolling their eyes.

"Hey," said some kid who holds no significance in this story, and thus shall not be named. "Why don't we ditch stupid Ms. Kenny and go out to recess early?"

"That sounds good." said some equally unimportant kid.

"I wish she would be responsible, like my mommy. She's supposed to watch us and keep us safe." grumbled Natalie Green as she led her Machoke out of the back door, into the playground. "She never even reads fairy tales. Just dumb stories about blood and pills and stuff."

There were many murmurs of agreement, as the rest of the clas filed out the door after her, trying to ignore Ms. Kenny and her Raticate squabbling over a small Ziploc bag of white powder.

**Author's Notes**: To those of you still reading at this point, I would like to alert you to the fact I have added on to the first chapter. The add-on holds no _enourmous_ signifigance to the story, but it would be for the best if you looked it over. Also, for those of you who are waiting for a real Pokemon battle, it should appear in the next chapter. Thanks guys.


	6. Meet Marv, Natalie, and Sibling Bonds

**Hey, hey! The Chapter all you battle-obsessers have been waithing for! The Kiddie League Championship! As for those of you who like Where's Waldo and stuff like that, can you find the _hidden anime references_ all throughout this story, and the shows they were taken from? If not, either you don't watch much anime or my hidden references are just too hidden. Hooray for completed chapters!**

---

Having recess early was unanimously declared fun by the entire K.12 classroom. Especially when they had been allowed to have potentially dangerous superpowered animals in the playground with them. The 'no supervision' factor made it even better.

However, some weren't having as much fun as others. As soon as Marv Baker, a seven-year-old brunette with spiky green-tipped bangs, fell off the swing for the seventh time, he made a suggestion.

"Hey! Why don't we have a battle tournament thingy? I get to be the judge!"

"No way!" cried Natalie Green. "I want to be the judge!"

"Too bad." huffed Marv. "It was my idea, so I get to be judge."

This small argument incited an interest within the other eighteen kindergarteners, and they and their Pokemon began to converge in a circle around Marv and Natalie. Being children, and therefore stupid, each began to argue over why they should battle first.

Kenta was the one who finally came up with the idea of just choosing some kid to randomly pick contenders. That lucky kid happened to be Kolly Monroe, a sickly-looking girl who was unusually skinny and had scabby knees. She picked the two kids we previously didn't care about, but now do for some inexplicable reason. They were Dick Hanson and Millie Treyes. Dick was one of the five-year-olds and had brought his father's Raichu. Millie was six, and had brought the family Ponyta.

Some of the more resourceful kids had thoughtfully cleared away the collapsible plastic playground and shoved it in the corner, leaving more room for the Pokemon battle.

"Okay! Round one begins! The winner of this challenge will move on to fight the next person and stuff! This will be a one-on-one battle between Dick and Millie! Ready?"

"FIGHT!" shouted the excited audience.

"Flare, go get it with Agility. " said Millie.

"You use Agility too, Sony!" cried Dick.

Sony was a well-battled creature, he was coverd in small scars, especially around his face, and a chunk was missing from his left ear. He decided to take control of the battle himself, a much more experienced fighter than his temporary trainer. He rushed forward at the Ponyta using Quick Attack, sparking angrily. The two speeding Pokemon ran at each other, Sony leapt up and slammed it right in the chest, knocking it sideways.

"Stomp it Flare!"

"Sony, Thunderbolt!"

Flare reared up on her hind legs, and the Raichu dodged to the side, completely ignoring the orders of his 'trainer.' The diamond-hard hooves made contact with only the hard playground blacktop. Before either child could utter another command, Sony plowed into Flare's side with another Quick Attack. The Ponyta toppled over this time, as the Raichu jumped away.

"Flare, get up! Use Ember!" cried Millie, in an effort to encourage the poor thing.

It took a few seconds for the equine to stumble to its feet. Pyro, in a fairly good position for observation, noted this fact. Meanwhile, Sony sat about ten feet away, grinning evilly at the injured Ponyta. He watched as it fired a volley of fiery missiles at him, and then easily dodged, running at the Ponyta with his cheeks crackling. Correctly guessing what attack the Raichu was going to use, Dick let out a scream of,

"Thunderbolt!"

Just to spite him, Sony used Agility.

The older, more experienced rodent used his speed boost to jump completely over the Ponyta. He landed almost perfectly on a section of the four-foot-tall chain-link fence surrounding the playground.

"Chase it, Flare!"

The Ponyta headed for the Raichu on the fence, obeying Millie's command to chase him as he started to run across the railing. The Raichu's tail started to glow as he ran. After the two had run about twenty feet, the Iron Tail slammed right into the base of Flare's neck, a spurt of blood flying from the cut. Flare toppled over on her back. It was clear this time that she would not be getting up.

"Ponyta is unable to battle! The victory goes to Raichu and its trainer!" cried Marv enthusiastically.

A cheer came up, mostly from the boys, who favored the sturdy little electric Pokemon. Millie returned Flare to her Pokeball, sighing softly at her loss. She muttered an apology to the fire horse as she went to stand with the rest of the audience. Dick went back to the audience as well, with the Raichu in tow. He had no desire to be further humiliated by Sony's actions.

_A Pokemon Perspective_

I am Hiya. Daughter of the Raticate known as Minnie and the wild Raticate known as Vermin. Brother to the Rattata who's name I have yet to learn.

My brother and I have always been close. Being almost identical in both aesthetics and genetic code had brought us together in the most honest and sincere of ways. A sibling bond. Though at times, we have our rivalries and disagreements, the two of us are very devoted to one another. When we were separated by the cruel claws of fate, each had insisted that they would not miss the other, or their mother.

Oh, how wrong that turned out to be. Though we were decently happy without each other, sibling bonds cannot truly be broken, and I found myself yearning for my brother's company.

So it was, that when I saw him sitting loyally in front of his girl, I sprang to his side, and sniffed the sides of his neck in a loving gesture of greeting. He did the same for me, and we both smiled. We were contented to play for a while, but then, as the little humans began rise and file out of the entrance we hid away in a corner and started to relate our experiences.

_'So, brother, how has life been?'_ I asked.

_'Oh, it's pretty good. Though, my girl has a little Poochyena named Sno, and it hates me for some reason.'_ he said, his ears twitching ever so slightly.

_'My girl is like a sister to mo, though her mother hates me. She keeps shooting me dirty looks as if I was unclean.'_

_'Ah…'_ sighed my brother. '_So, sister, did she give you a name?'_ he said hopefully.

_'Yes, I am called Hiya now.'_

_'My name is now Baje.' _

_'Baje? That's an odd name.' _

_'So is Hiya.'_

We chuckled lightly for a while at this, until my brother ventured to ask what sort of training I was undergoing. I was surprised to say the least, but I kept my composure.

_'No. But, brother,'_ I said, _'I must inquire if you have been undergoing any training yourself as of late.' _

_'Yes sister, it is a certain fact that I have been undergoing rigorous training, along with my girl's Poochyena, and the Pokemon of my girl's acquaintance.'_

_'This leads me to believe that you are now more powerful than I am, dear brother. I have not undergone any type of training at all.'_

_'That is a shame, dear sister. I believe that an invitation is in order. You absolutely must come with us to train. Why, I have already almost mastered my electric attack!' _

_' Brother, you possess an electric attack!'_ I cried in surprise. What a creature of power and variety my brother had become.

_'Yes, I believe I do.'_ said my brother, grinning widely. '_Though you may be exactly twelve seconds older than me, I have gained quite an edge on you, wouldn't you say, older sister.' _

_'Yes, you have indeed, my lovely and talented younger brother.'_ I said, my voice filled with pride in his accomplishment. My brother's eyes watered up, filling with tears.

_'Dearest older sister!'_ he cried, embracing me. At this point, I entirely lost my composure, and with a cry of;

_'Dearest younger brother!'_ I returned his hug.

_'Sister!' _

_'Brother!' _

_'Sister!' _

_'Brother!'_

---

The Raticate, Minnie, finally succeeded in wrenching the bag of white powder from Ms. Kenny. As she stared at her children, hugging in the corner, she was immediately reminded of why she had no objections in handing over the zealous offspring to her questionable owner.

_End Pokemon Perspective_

Outside, the competition still continued. Natalie had apparently found something to do, as she perched comfortably on the shoulders of her Machoke.

"Okay! Since Dick and Sony have backed out, the next battlers will be Carr Cloud with his family Grovyle, Zeke and Rice Ohano with his family Mareep, Submin!" she cried heartily.

The two boys walked proudly out into the cleared-out playground, taking their places at opposite sides. Zeke gave a smug look to the Mareep and her owner, a kid with spiky black hair and a cheerful, stupid-looking expression.

Marv wiped his nose as Kolly scanned the crowd for the next challengers.

"Okay! Round two begins! This will be a one-on-one battle between Rice and Carr! Ready?"

"FIGHT!" shouted the audience.

"Go, Zeke! Leaf Blade!"

"Thunderbolt!"

It seemed that the quick grass Pokemon was upon the Mareep before she even had time to blink. Its sharp glowing armblade sunk into a mass of electrically charged fluffy wool, and a bit of flesh. Whoops.

The slightly injured Grovyle jumped back, armblades reverting back to normal. Apparently they had underestimated their foe, though a small stain of red appeared on Submin's right shoulder. Carr scowled.

"Cotton Spore, then Screech!"

"Okay Zeke, attack it from the back with Quick Attack!"

Multiple puffs of cotton floated from the wooly coat of the Mareep. Zeke's speedy attack landed him right in the middle of them. They clung to the Grovyle, slowing it down.

Submin Screeched as the reptile made impact, the attack hitting Zeke dead on. The poor Grovyle clutched its ears, as did the rest of the audience.

"Now, Thunderbolt!" cried Rice as the Mareep stumbled to her feet.

It was a real Thunderbolt this time, fully charged. The bolt of lightning streamed out of the Mareep, striking Zeke directly in the chest.

"Body Slam, Submin!"

"Dodge it!"

Zeke struggled to his feet, claws lightly over his chest. The sight of a speeding Mareep rushing at him spurred the cotton-covered Grovyle to front flip over the attack, and quickly swivel towards his attacker.

"Swift, then Charge!"

"Leaf Blade, rush it!"

The star-shaped rays were either blocked or sliced into pieces by the armblade of the wood gecko Pokemon. Then, it proceeded to use the same attack to dispatch the Mareep. As it rushed forward, neither child nor Pokemon noticed the buildup of static in the Mareep's wool.

"Grab it!" cried Rice, just as the shining armblade sunk into Submin's pelt again. The Mareep dutifully sank her teeth into Zeke's arm, drawing blood. The Grovyle prepared to fling it off, but at that very moment, a huge surge of electricity shot through the green beast, effectively frying it.

Submin stepped away, and Zeke twitched a couple of times, sparks visible on his skin. Than the Grovyle spasmed, and began to foam at the mouth. It twitched a couple of times, trying to get up, then lost consciousness.

"Grovyle is unable to battle! Mareep wins the match!" cried Marv, grinning.

"Zeke, you idiot!" cried Carr, returning the battered Grovyle to its Pokeball. He stalked off the battle area with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and a huge scowl. Rive on the other hand, grinned stupidly, looking back and forth while chuckling at his audience.

A huge cheer rung out again, this time mostly from the girls, who favored the pretty fluffy sheep. Submin proudly stood, lashing her tail. The innocent-looking Mareep hadn't even started to breathe hard.

Natalie, from atop her Machoke's shoulders, was exchanging a few quick words with Kolly. When finished, Natalie wrinkled her nose slightly, but started to announce anyway.

"Our next contender will be Patrick Ryien with her Rattata, Hi-yaw or something versus Rice Ohano and his pretty and cool Mareep!"

Pyro blanched slightly as all heads turned toward her. She looked for Hiya, but the rodent had left her side. She scanned the ground, only to find the purple rodent cutting through the crowd to get to her. Immediately seizing the rat Pokemon, she scampered into the ring.

Yes, she was utterly confident that Hiya would beat the Mareep. The earlier battle must have worn it out at least a bit, even if it hadn't taken many hits. Hiya was a Rattata, so she would know Tackle and Tail Whip at the least. So, if Hiya was fast enough to avoid Cotton Spore and Thundershock, they might have a chance to slowly wear it down.

"You ready Hiya?" said Pyro, setting her pet down.

Hiya bristled and faced the Mareep, eyes glittering intensely.

Marv wiped his nose again.

"Okay! Round two begins! This will be a one-on-one battle between Pyro and Rice! Ready?"

"FIGHT!" yelled the audience, as the two Pokemon prepared to engage in battle.

**Author's Notes**: Well, now. It's a cliffhanger, for once. I hope you guys are ready for the wait. How will Pyro and Hiya do against the powerful combo of Rice and Submin? Who will battle next? How will Kenta do? Does anyone even care about Kenta?Those questions, and more, will be answered in the next installment of Pyromaniac. Don't forget to leave reviews, folks, I don't know if it's worth continuing if you never _say _anything! As for the thing with Hiya and Baje...don't ask. Really, just **don't.**


	7. Begin of the Real Titles: Hiya's Battle

**To KitsuneJ, thank you for the review. I'd just like to pint out that after writing a story running on Anime, Pika Pika Surprise Magic Cocktail Ice-Cream Dynamic Special, and pure testosterone, you tend not to have much respect for your readers. I also really did mean "Good Night," as in "I'm going to bed." I apologise to you, and any other readers I may have offended. Anyway, I'll try to keep my profanity to a minimum, and to control my hormonal imbalences. Also, the update has been made. It's 9:58pm. G'nite.**

**Update: Pyromaniac now has a bit of art to go along with it. Yes, I did draw it myself. By the way, it is a bit of a spoiler, as the scene depicted on it happens MUCH later in the story.**

------------------------------

Hiya ran forward before Pyro even had the chance to give her a command, scurrying forward in a distinctly rodent-like way. Submin remained stationary, smirking as the creature less than half her size tried to rush her. Pyro's eyes widened in realization as Hiya came within ten feet of the electric sheep.

"Hiya! Stop!"

The Rattata stopped in her tracks, looking at Pyro in confusion. The girl gritted her teeth. Pure force wasn't going to work here. She wouldn't make the same mistakes that Carr did. That Mareep was covered in electricity. If Hiya was to make a direct hit, she might be paralyzed by its Static ability. Besides, a direct hit wouldn't have much effect. Hiya had grown since she started living with Pyro, but she was still smaller than a football.

"Hiya…stay there."

"Give it a little Thunderbolt!"

Lightning burst from the Mareep's electrically charged wool, and something else happened. Interesting. Electricity started rising in an elegant arc overhead.

"Dodge!" cried Pyro.

Hiya stared as the Thunderbolt approached, singing the ground as it streaked towards the fear-stricken rat. She was paralyzed in fear, too scared to move.

"HIYA! DODGE!" Pyro literally screamed, snapping Hiya out of her paralysis.

The Rattata suddenly leapt to the side just in time. The Thunderbolt struck her in the tail, but it was too low voltage to cause a debilitating shock. Hiya looked a little bit damaged, but she'd probably shake it off. Or, at least, this was Pyro's hope.

"Get it with Body Slam, Submin!" cried Rice, clenching his teeth.

"Just keep moving."

And indeed, this was the Rattata's action. As the Mareep rose into the air, Hiya simply zipped to the side, allowing it to land only on blacktop.

"Cotton Spore, Submin!"

"Get away from it!"

Large clumps of fleece started shedding away from the Mareep's woolly coat, floating toward Hiya. The Rattata easily jumped out of the way, avoiding the puffy wads.

"Cotton Spore again, keep it up!"

The puffs of cotton floated around, covering most of the battlefield. Hiya watched as the fluffy balls floated about, then gently fluttered to the ground. She watched, staying safely out of range.

Rice growled. How was he supposed to slow this thing down if it wouldn't attack? What was the girl thinking? He could glean no information, as he observed Pyro's emotionless stare and rigid posture. Fine, this would have to be finished with long-range battle.

"Okay, Submin, Charge!"

"Hiya, get in there!"

What! What was going on? The Rattata started to dash towards the Mareep, dodging the Cotton Spores with ease.

"Thundershock!"

"Qu-quick Attack now!"

As the Mareep fired the Thundershock, the Rattata quickly gained speed, but not the kind necessary for a Quick Attack. Swerving out of the way of the electric attack, Hiya slammed right into Submin's injured shoulder with Tackle.

The impact from the little rat was enough to topple the Mareep over on her side, but the sheep Pokemon gracefully went into a roll. She ended up right back on her feet, albeit in a slightly different position. The Mareep's wool crackled. Apparently, now was the time to get serious.

"Thundershock it!"

"Tackle again!"

This time, however, the Thundershock landed right in front of the Rattata, halting her as she squeaked in fright. Hiya started to run again, but Pyro called for her to keep out of the way. Rice called for yet another Charge.

"Hiya, get ready to Tackle!" cried Pyro, as her Pokemon threw herself out of the way of another of the Thunderbolts. She then swerved again, her Tackle right on at Submin's injured shoulder.

The Mareep gave a pitiful '_Maaaaa_!' and stumbled, but kept her feet. The spot of red on her shoulder started to get larger. Hiya chattered her teeth threateningly, as the Mareep regained her posture.

Rice pressed his lips together. Apparently, the earlier bout with Zeke was beginning to take effect here. He'd have to finish this quick.

"Submin, Charge and send out a bunch of HUGE Thunderbolts! Use everything we've got!"

Hiya and Pyro were forced to watch helplessly as the Mareep powered up for a devastating attack. There was no way to dodge, Pyro could tell just by the sheer amount of electricity charging in the Mareep's wool. The boy Rice, would most likely command Submin to shoot her Thunderbolts everywhere, like in the cartoons.

"Hiya! Do-"

It was too late. With a decidedly evil '_Maa-aaa-AAAA_!' great bolts of lightning, twice as big as before, were flung at the young Rattata.

_"She's going to die. These human kittens have no idea of what they're dealing with." said a voice. It was somehow frantic, while still matter-of-fact. _

_"True, too true. But the death of that one will not do. Not at all." said another voice, which was cold and calculating. _

_A flicker of red went up, and a solid black paw reached down, and grabbed something. Then it squeezed hard as the flicker of red expanded, covering the paw completely and consuming the object it held. _

_"That's cheating." said the frantic voice. _

_"No, no it's not." replied the cold voice. "I did not create something where there was nothing. I merely unearthed something that was already present." _

_"As you wish." growled the frantic voice, and both voices slowly faded away. _

A few concentrated lightning bolts struck at Hiya, and an explosion rung out through the schoolyard. There was still electricity streaming out of the Mareep, into the Rattata. Only, something was happening. The electricity was unable to penetrate a wall of flames that surrounded the little rodent.

Pyro stared in amazement. Her first thought was that Hiya had caught on fire, and was slowly burning away. Then, a decidedly evil grin crossed her face, as she realized that it was a Flame Wheel. A breed move, picked up from her father. And Pyro fully realized the potential.

"Hiya, get away from Thundershock!"

"Keep zapping at it!" cried Rice, still confident in his ability to win this.

Hiya, while unable to use Quick Attack, was still faster than the Mareep. She broke through the barrage of lightning bolts, either dodging to the side or blocking it with the intense heat of her Flame Wheel. The Cotton Spores simply burned up at her paws.

Submin was surprised, to say the least. Her injured shoulder was spared this time, but at the price of her attacker being on fire. The Mareep stumbled, almost losing her balance as the flaming Hiya scampered away.

"Hit it again, Hiya!"

The Rattata confidently charged forward again, as the Mareep remained motionless. Searing flames leapt from Hiya's pelt, and Submin took just the slightest step backwards.

"Now, in front of it!"

It wasn't a big bolt of lightening, and that was for two reasons. One, the Mareep had expended too much electrical energy. Two, a large bolt wasn't needed.

You see, Rice and Submin had taken advantage of a certain fact. Despite her strong constitution, and ability to force chemicals in her own fur to combust, Hiya was a rodent. And sudden movements right in their path of motion can easily surprise rodents.

So, when a lightning bolt once again dropped right in front of Hiya, she squeaked in surprise, and instantly lost control of her Flame Wheel.

"Get out of there!"

The little Rattata ran, jumping and dodging away from the slew of Cotton Spores scattered around the field. Rice grinned.

"Submin, chase it, Tackle!"

Hiya's eyes widened as the Mareep started to chase her. She easily outpaced it, but dodging the Cotton Spores…

Zap!

A little bolt of lightning struck at Hiya, causing her direction to veer drastically. Submin charged, causing her to change direction once again.

What was Rice trying to do? Submin chased after Hiya, she dodged. Hiya was fast. She could keep this up for a while, but could not afford a good hit. So, a fragile, speedy fighter was being chased around. What was he trying to do? There was blacktop, there were Cotton Spores.

That was it! But, alas, she was a bit too late in her realization. Hiya had been chased into a thick clump of Cotton Spores, unable to move.

"Rip them off with your teeth!"

"Body Slam, Submin!"

By the time Hiya had recovered, it was too late. Eighteen pounds of Mareep landed on the three-pound Rattata kit. She gave a loud squeal, and then lay still, even after Submin got up.

"Rattata is unable to battle! Mareep wins the match!" cried Marv, wiping his nose.

Another cheer rang out. Submin rose, pulling herself off of Hiya. The Mareep was panting, but she looked around in satisfaction, enjoying the praise.

Pyro trotted into the ring to retrieve a crackling Hiya. Her fur danced with sparks. Cradling the Rattata in her arms, she cursed Rice and his Mareep with every indecent word she knew. It was a quite impressive ensemble of profanity for a five-year-old.

Hiya's shallow, quick, and steady breaths were familiar by this time, and the dark-haired girl was relieved to see that most was in order. Hiya had a few odd-looking burns on her. Some from jolts of electricity, and some from her own Flame Wheel, by the smell.

Kenta knelt by her; the aloof golden Meowth perched on his shoulder.

"Hey." he said gently. "Was that your first battle, Pyro? You and Hi-yaw did really good."

Pyro ignored him, stroking Hiya, until her bright little eyes opened, staring at her guiltily. Pyro carefully hugged her, silently wishing for Kenta's immediate removal from the scene/instant death.

"Well, congratulations, Pyro." said Kenta, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was being ignored. He removed a can of Burn Heal from his side pocket. "This is for Hi-yaw."

Kenta was rewarded for his kindness with a sharp cry of "Her name is _HIYA_!" and a sharp slap across the cheek.

Kenta blinked.

Didn't she realize that he was a person just like she was? That he had feelings too? Kenta's face contorted into an angry grimace. His hand clenched into a fist, then released. Pyro stared at him impassively with triumph glinting in her eyes. He slapped her face. Hard.

Pyro snarled, stepping forward to administer a punishment, but suddenly she stopped. As if she was thinking better of it. She snarled at him, then bolted and ran, Hiya cradled gently in her arms and the Burn Heal clenched in her hand.

There were other battles, with other winners and other vanquished. Kenta and his Meowth fought, against the family Growlithe of a pale, purple-haired girl named Connie. Kenta won. Eventually, Ms. Kenny managed to sniff the white powder, despite the efforts of her Raticate, Minnie. Thus, the children were herded inside.

At Story Time, Kenta and the Meowth sat between Pyro and the Pika-girl. As soon as Ms. Kenny's back was turned, she scratched his ear. The Pika-girl glared at her, and pleadingly made Pikachu noises to Kenta. Kenta simply smiled, and hit Pyro back. She recoiled. The Pika-girl gave Kenta a rather satisfied look, as did the Mightyena-girl, sitting across from them.

Ms. Kenny cleared her throat as she sat down in the Big Story Chair, and pulled out a book. The twenty rugrats wriggled in happy surprise. Perhaps Ms. Kenny was going to read a _real_ story today!

"Today, class, I am too high to tell you a tale from my past-umm..I mean a story from somebody else's coke…uh, past, so, I'll read you one out of this crappy book."

The K.12 kids set up a cheer.

_Once upon a time, after Little Mew had wished for the Earth and all the Legendaries, they had a discussion in the clouds. They all decided that the world was too empty. Little Mew asked of the Legendaries: _

_"Siblings, what shall we do about this? We have all decided that the world is too empty, but what shall we full it with?" _

_However, all of the Legendaries had their own opinion on these matters. _

_The sleepy Brother Jirachi wanted to fill the world with gleaming stars. _

_The mild Sister Celebi wanted to fill it with trees and plants. _

_Strong-willed Lady Lugia, sweet Prince Manafi and stubborn Lady Kyogre wished to cover the world in water. _

_Adamant Lord Groudon wanted to cover the world in land. _

_Little Mew did not know what he wanted. _

_Wild Lord Zapdos wished the cover the world in storms._

_Brave Lord Moltres and insistent Lord Ho-oh wished to cover the world in a raging sea of fire. _

_Fickle Lady Articuno wished to freeze it. _

_Indifferent Lady Parukia and Lord Dairuga could not be bothered either way. _

_So an argument broke out between some of the Legendaries, and their battles raged day and night. Those who excluded themselves were Little Mew, Prince Manafi, Sister Celebi, Lady Articuno, Diaruga, and Paruki. These six were saddened at the destruction caused to the world, and used their power to banish the fighters to the depths of space. While the all of these were gone, the ones that remained healed the earth. _

_While cleaning the earth with his divine power, Mew discovered a feather of Lugia. Likewise, Jirachi discovered a feather of Ho-oh. Celebi retrieved the feathers of Zapdos and Moltres, Articuno received a scale from Groudon, Manafi got a scale from Kyogre, and Diaruga and Parukia found nothing. _

_Then, Little Mew had an idea. _

_"We can use these to make something." _

_He took all of the items, and put them before him. Then, he contributed a few strands of his fur. Jirachi gave a wish tag. Artuicuno gave a feather. Celebi gave a leaf. Dairuga and Parukia gave chips of their claws. Manafi gave one of his jewels. _

_Together, they poured all of their power into these items, but even through the great power of the five Legendaries, nothing happened. Parukia and Dairuga looked to the sky, and Parukia ripped open a rift. All of the Lords and Ladies who had been fighting flew though it back to earth, and thus, the Legendaries were united again. _

_Mew flew amongst them, and laughed, and talked, and all wounds of the heart were healed. Together, they took all of their power, and focused it into the parts of themselves that they had gathered. _

_And something happened. Out of the five feathers, the jewel, the leaf, the two scales, the tuft of fur, the claw chips, and the wish tag, there came a burst of light, and three-hundred and seventy-three creatures appeared. All of them were brown and dull as the earth. _

_The Legendaries looked down at them and laughed, for this was their doing. _

_As time passed, the creatures, called Pokemon, became accustomed to the Legendaries. Soon, t became knows that there were more than one of several species of Pokemon. The ones to notice that were the three first Bulbasaurs. So, the Legendaries took two of them, and changed them into the first Ivysaur and the first Venosaur, and did accordingly for the rest of the Pokemon who suffered the same plight._

_They also became jealous of their great powers, and some went far enough as top ask for powers of their own. Some wished to burn as hot as fire, some wished for the_ _power of_ _mind control, and some wished to be as hard as steel. When the Pokemon got their power, they were also blessed with color, and flaunted this about like Articuno flaunted her feathers. _

_Some Pokemon only wished for color, and not fantastic powers, and those became the normal Pokemon. However, after giving out all of that power, they grew tired, and fled to their homes in the clouds. _

_It turned out, that some Pokemon who lived far away came to the Legendaries, and their pleas were not answered. Rage at this betrayal burned in their bellies, and eventually their hate turned them into dark Pokemon. _

_After a long slumber, the Legendaries eventually returned, and found only one Pokemon who had not gotten a type. Eevee. When it was offered power, the Eevee was so indecisive, that he asked if he could have them all. The Legendaries simply said: _

_"So be it." _

_And they gave the Eevee all types of power that existed. And the Eevee was so torn about which power it wanted, that it split into parts. One remained brown, as it had been, and that is Eevee's curse. That was the last, and every one of the Pokemon had power and color. _

_But that did not mean that all of them were happy, or that all of them were loyal. In fact, four of them were plotting to destroy the Legendaries, and take rulership for themselves so that they could form the world as they wished. _

_But the Legendaries did not know this, and they were satisfied._

"The End." snapped Ms. Kenny, and there was a unanimous 'Awwww…' from the K.12 classroom.

"That wasn't the real end!" cried Natalie Green.

"Well, too bad!" growled Ms. Kenny. "You'll hear the rest tomorrow. Now, get ready to go."

Because, by that time, it was just about time for the parents to pick up their kids.

That night, it was Pyro's mother who asked why she looked so stressed, and what the red mark on her cheek was. Her reply was simple.

"A punching bag loses its appeal when it starts to hit back."

---

**Authors Notes**: _Well, this is the chapter where what was promised in the summary starts to come to light. I know this story is really slow in progressing, but hang in there with me folks! Remember folks, Read and Review. And yes, you are going to see that in my author's notes until I start to get more than one review a chapter. But I love my readers anyway, even if most of them are lazy bastards who don't review. ;3_


	8. Story Discontinued

**As of today, Pyromaniac is out of continuation. It will be rewritten in a different timline, and the current story will finally be finished and posted as a spin-off. I'm sorry to dissapoint...about four people.**


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